Wine and health: a winning match

The beneficial effects of drinking wine with moderation are demonstrated by numerous researches. What is new is that the average polyphenols in Italian red wines is twice as much as in Californian wines and four as much as in French reds

by T N

Alcoholic beverages are not recommended for a healthy and balanced diet and for a long lasting and happy life. Still, wine is, as a component of the lifestyle and food habits of the Mediterranean diet, a sure reason of the positive epidemiologic data published by Prof. Rotilio, chair of the degree in Food Science at Tor Vergata University in Rome. There is evidence that the mortality for myocardial infarction in Western countries is 4-5 times higher in US and Finland than in France in Italy, where the consumption of wine is 10-20 times higher. Hundreds of studies have shown the beneficial effects of a moderate consumption of wine on health.

Still, 7000 year old beliefs and experiences, since the first alcoholic beverages, have mostly emphasized the negative effects due to alcohol abuse. Ethylic alcohol is toxic but our body has an innate ability of metabolizing it.

For this and more reasons, the properties of wines have been only partially disclosed for a long time. The concerns of doctors and politicians were well grounded in a country like Italy where, until a few decades ago, wine was seen more as a side to the meal rather than as a food. Alcohol, as shown below, has 7.3 calories per gram. 1 gram of sugar has 4.1 calories, 1 gram of fats has 9.3 calories, 1 gram of proteins has 4.4 calories. Alcohol is second only to fats, and this explains how easy it was to use it as a substitute to the nutritional needs, especially in the countries.

How to calculate the caloric intake of wine
1 gram of alcohol = 7,3 calories
1 alcoholic degree = 7,9 grams of alcohol
1 liter of wine, 12% = 96 grams of alcohol = 692 calories
1 glass of (about 100 ml) = 69 calories

The main responsible of the good effects on health of wine is its content in polyphenols. They are powerful antioxidants, which are also present in other food, such as in extra virgin olive oils, whose role is not just limited to the defense of free radical, but also consists in protecting from types of cancers and arteriosclerosis, and in helping the cardiovascular system and digesting tract.

The great interest for functional foods, that is to say foods with pharmacologically active compounds, able to prevent or cure pathological forms, and to improve physiological and metabolic functions, led several researchers to focus their attention on the non alcoholic components of wine.

Prof Attilio Scienza’s lab at Università degli Studi di Milano, in collaboration with the Dipartimento di Farmacologia was able to identify a class of compounds that apparently have antioxidant properties but also a predominant role in favoring vasodilation and thus having a cardioprotective role. This class, the class of tannins, has been subsequently divided into 7 sub classes, each with a different degree of polymerization; thus, the compounds which are most responsible for these actions were identified. The degree of metabolization by the organism cannot neglect the alcoholic gradation, though.

The recent discovery of melatonin, an indolic compound which is a neuro-hormon produced by hypothalamus, in extracts of Vitis Vinifera berries has been of extreme interest. Melatonin is essential in regulating the rhythms of sleep and wake, and it is a powerful antioxidant. If the content of melatonin in wine will be proved, it might explain more of the beneficial effects of wine, that cannot be attributed to resveratrol only.

As regard this last compound, more scientific evidence has shown that our wines have twice as much antioxidants as Californian wines and four times as much as French ones. Prof. Scienza also showed that autochthonous wines such as Croatina (2300 mg/kg) or Sangiovese (1500 mg/kg) have a significant higher content of resveratrol than Merlot or Cabernet (1000 mg/kg). As regards Proanthocyanidins, similar studies have shown that Italian wines such as Nebbiolo, Croatina and Bonarda have a much higher content with respect to foreign wines.

All this scientific evidence have a positive impact on the performance of our wines abroad, especially in markets that are sensitive to the issues of health. This might provide further boost to maintaining our leadership on the American and international markets.